New Children's Book.  Over the years the Does God Exist? program has produced eleven books designed for elementary children.  These books have developed the theme that science and faith support one another, and also the fact that man is special and because he is created in the image of God, he is of special worth.  Self image is a major problem with many young children in today's world and we have a series which deals with evidence that man has a spiritual component that makes man of intrinsic inherent worth.  The first book was God's VIP--That's Me which was followed by Created... a Plan.  We now have a third book in this series titled Outrageous Me.  Like the first two books in this series, Outrageous Me is the product of an author we found who already had the book written, and in this case the author, Eric Johnston, also did the art work.  This colorful book shows how imagining things that would make us better than we are is futile and that God's creation of us as we are makes us special.  To order this new book or any of our children's books, use the form at the bottom of this page.

New Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Data Supports Biblical Plan.  The Bible makes it clear that God's will for man is that there be no sexual activity outside of marriage and that sexual purity in marriage is critical.  Attacks on that position have ranged from statements that it is impractical to claims that technology has made it obsolete.  In the July, 2001, the United States Government released a 27-page report of condom usefulness revealing that 15 million new cases of STDs occur annually in the US and that one in five adults in this country have an STD.  Some of the highlights of the study are interesting.

We want to emphasize that no one is saying that condoms do not offer any protection against STDs, but the notion being given to the American public that safe sex is achieved through the use of condoms is misleading at the very best.  Dr. Joe S. McIlhaney Jr., president of the Medical Institute for Sexual Health says "An honest look at the research leads to only one conclusion:  The only realistic way for a young person to eliminate their risks of STDs and nonmarital pregnancy is to remain sexually abstinent until marriage."

--Reference:  South Bend Tribune, October 24, 2001, page C2.

Does God Exist? on Other Web Sites.  We have heard from several people who have found articles by us on other web sites.  We want to be sure our readers know that material from this periodical can be reproduced on any site as long as there is no fee or selling involved.  We also are writing articles that appear on certain sites.  This does not mean that we endorse every site or what they teach, because atheists and skeptics have reproduced our articles as well as a number of fundamentalists and denominational creationists.  One site that we have written articles for that are not in this journal is http:www.gracecentered.com, and we will list others as they occur.

Giant Insects and the Climate of the Past.  Fossil hunters continue to find giant insects from the time of the dinosaurs.  Recently a centipede was found at a coal mine in Ohio with legs that are five feet long.  Cockroaches have been found that are nearly 4 inches across.  Huge dragonflies have been found with wingspans coming close to 30 inches.  What many people do not think about is what climate and atmosphere conditions must have been present to sustain such animals.  In today's world, no animals are found approaching these sizes even though the climate in many places is very warm and very wet.  There is growing evidence that the composition of the atmosphere was very different in the past, with much higher oxygen content.  The suggestion that humans were living at this time is not only not suggested in scriptures, but not supported by the evidence.

Sick Sue.  One of the best known dinosaurs in the world is one named Sue which is in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.  Recent studies of this specimen and several in England are showing that these creatures had multiple injuries and diseases.  One researcher found 58 scars on 24 vertebrae of a specimen.  Sue has holes in the rear lower jaw that shows signs of long term infections.  She also has bone spurs and broken ribs, with one rib having a chip of a tooth from some other dinosaur imbedded in it.  In more recent rocks the remains of horses show disease in 21 percent of the specimens studied.  What we are seeing is that the time of the dinosaurs was not a paradise free of problems, pain, and death.  This has implications for everything from animal rights to denominational creationism.

--Reference:  Science News, December 15, 2001, pages 376-77.

More Dinosaur Eggs.  Our understandings of dinosaurs is getting better.  In Patagonia a huge hatchery was discovered in 1997.  These eggs continue to be excavated and opened.  These creatures grew to be 100 feet, so finding eggs with babies fully developed in them offers some new information.  The reproductive system of these dinosaurs is also becoming quite clear through these same fossils.

In China skeletons have been found surrounded by halos of fibers and filaments.  Some researchers believe that these are feathers or the forerunners of feathers and the obvious conclusion is that they may have been the forerunners of birds.  The Bible identifies four "kinds" of flesh--fish, beasts, birds, and man.  There is no Hebrew word that lists reptiles or amphibians.  If it turns out that the animals we have been calling dinosaurs are actually the forerunners of the birds, it will simply show that the Bible has once again preempted the scientific discovery with the "flesh of birds," including those animals that for the past 100 years or so we have called dinosaurs.  It is also possible that, like marsupials, worms, monotremes, and even insects, the Bible has simply not chosen to tell us how each of the 26 million species of life came into existence on this earth.  If it had, we would be unable to pick up our Bibles without a forklift.

--Reference:  Discover, January, 2002, page 12 and page 45.

Otzi Was Murdered.  About 10 years ago a Tyrolean ice man who was later named Otzi was found in Italy.  He was frozen and his body was preserved in an amazing way, so he has gotten a lot of attention.  Scientists in Bolzano, Italy, have reported finding proof of an arrow lodged less than an inch from the specimen's lung.  Man's inhumanity to man amazes us, but the lessons from the past show us that the events of September 11 have always been a part of man's experience because sin has always been a part of man's experience.  That is why Jesus is such a unique figure and so important to the history of man.  He offers the one hope mankind has of breaking the chain of violence that has been a part of our history.

--Reference:  Discover, January, 2002, page 63.

Sugars in Space.  Meteorites have been a subject of intense research in recent years, and as new data continues to come out of those studies more and more mysteries come out.  Studies of meteorites called chondrites have shown that a variety of simply sugars are present in the meteorites including dihydroxyacetone and sugar alcohols such as glycerols.  These sugars have the ratios of carbon 12 to carbon 13 that indicate they are not biological in nature, so they do not have much to do with life on earth, but they do tell us that space has been enriched with materials that can make life possible.  How all of this fits into theories on the origins of life is unclear, and probably there is no relationship at all, but it does tell us more about the nature of the cosmos and how special our part of space is.

--Reference:  Science News, December 22 & 29, 2001, page 388.

Ozone Damage From Fungus.  We have been told over and over how much damage man is doing to the environment, and especially how we have damaged the ozone layer that protects us from ultraviolet radiation.  It is becoming increasingly obvious however, that there are many natural materials which also damage the ozone, and the latest villain in this process is a forest soil fungi that surround roots making up perhaps as much as 15 percent of organic material in the soil.  This is a significant force in our environment and may change some views about all the parameters that go in to protecting ourselves from the damages of outer space.

Reminders.  We want to remind our readers that our newest version of The Source is available in hardback from your local bookstore (published by Howard Publishing) or available from us in a softback edition either on loan or for $6.00 ppd.  This is the most concise and detailed explanation of our material that we have.  We also want to remind you of the Summer Seminar in June that was announced in our January/February 2002 issue.

Name __________________________________________________

Address________________________________________________

City, State/Province______________________________________

ZIP/Postal Code _________________________________________

____ Please send _____ copies of Outrageous Me @ $2.00

____ Please send _____ sets of the three books above @ $5.00

____ Please send _____sets of the entire children's series @ $20.00

Mail to John Clayton, 1555 Echo Valley Dr., Niles, MI 49120; make check payable to the Dowagiac Church of Christ.  Refunds will be given when books are returned for those who wish to borrow the book(s).

Back to Contents Does God Exist?, MarApr02.
10/06/2008